Name

The
Surah has been so designated after the word al-muzzammiloccurring in the very first verse.
This is only a name and not a title of its subject matter.

Period
of Revelation

The
two sections of this Surah were revealed in two separate periods.

The
first section (vv. 1-19) is unanimously a Makki Revelation, and this
is supported both by its subject matter and by the traditions of the
Hadith.
As for the question, in which specific period of the life at Makkah
it was revealed, it is not answered by the tradition, but the
internal evidence of the subject matter of this section helps to
determine the period of its revelation.

First,
in it the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) has been instructed to
the effect: "Arise during the night and worship Allah so that
you may develop the capability to shoulder the heavy burden of
Prophethood and to discharge its responsibilities." This shows
that this Command must have been given in the earliest period of the
Prophethood when training was being imparted to the Holy prophet by
Allah for this office.

Secondly,
a Command has been given in it that the Qur'an be recited in, the
Tahajjud Prayer for half the night, or thereabout. This Command by
itself points out that by that time at least so much of the Qur'an
had been revealed as could be recited for that long.

Thirdly,
in this section the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) has been
exhorted to have patience at the excesses being committed by his
opponents, and the disbelievers of Makkah have been threatened with
the torment. This shows that this section was revealed at a time when
the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) had openly started preaching
Islam and the opposition to him at Makkah had grown active and
strong.

About
the second section (v. 20) although many of the commentators have
expressed the opinion that this too was sent down at Makkah, yet some
other commentators regard it as a Madani Revelation, and this same
opinion is confirmed by the subject matter of this section. For it
mentions fighting in the way of Allah, and obviously, there could be
no question of it at Makkah; it also contains the Command to pay the
obligatory zakat,
and it is fully confirmed that the zakatat a specific rate and with an
exemption limit (nisab) was enjoined at Madinah.

Theme
and Subject Matter

In
the first seven verses the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) has been
commanded to the effect: "Prepare yourself to shoulder the
responsibilities of the great Mission that has been entrusted to you;
its practical form is that you should rise during the hours of night
and stand up in Prayer for half the night, or for a little more or
less of it."

In
vv. 8-14, he has been exhorted to the effect: "Devote yourself
exclusively to that God Who is the Owner of the whole universe.
Entrust all your affairs to Him with full satisfaction of the heart.
Bear with patience whatever your opponents may utter against you. Do
not be intimate with them. Leave their affair to God: He Himself will
deal with them."

Then,
in vv. 15-19, those of the people of Makkah, who were opposing the
Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) have been warned, so as to say: "We
have sent a Messenger to you just as We sent a Messenger to the
Pharaoh. Just consider what fate the Pharaoh met when he did not
accept the invitation of the Messenger of Allah. Supposing that you
are not punished by a torment in this world, how will you save
yourselves from the punishment for disbelief on the Day of
Resurrection."

This
is the subject matter of the first section. The second section,
according to a tradition from Hadrat Sa'id bin Jubair, was sent down
ten years later, and in it the initial Command given in connection
with the Tahajjud Prayer, in the beginning of the first section, was
curtailed. The new Command enjoined, "Offer as much of the
Tahajjud Prayer as you easily can, but what the Muslims should
particularly mind and attend to is the five times obligatory Prayer a
day:, they should establish it regularly and punctually; they should
discharge their zakatdues accurately; and they should spend
their wealth with sincere intentions for the sake of Allah. In
conclusion, the Muslims have been exhorted, saying: "Whatever
good works you do in the world, will not go waste, but they are like
the provision which a traveler sends up in advance to his permanent
place of residence. Whatever good you send up from the world, you
will find it with Allah, and the provision thus sent up is much
better than what you will have to leave behind in the world, and with
Allah you will also get a much better and richer reward than what you
have actually sent up before."

In
the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

[1-14]
O you who sleeps covered up,1
keep standing in Prayer at night but a little2
half the night, or lessen it a little, or add to it a little3
and recite the Qur'an calmly in a measured tone.4
Indeed, We are about to send down on you a weighty Word.5
In fact. the rising by night6
is most effective for controlling the self7
and most suitable for reciting the Qur'an well,8
for in the day time you have many an occupations. Remember the name
of your Lord9
and devote yourself to Him exclusively. He is the Owner of the East
and the West. There is no god but He; therefore, take Him alone as
your Guardian.10
And bear with patience what they utter, and depart from them
gracefully.11
Leave it to Me to deal with those prosperous people who deny12
(the Truth) and leave them as they are for a while. We have heavy
fetters (for them)13
and a blazing Fire, and a choking food and a painful torment. This
will happen on the Day when the earth and the mountains shall become
as heaps of scattering sand.14

[15-19]
To you15
We have sent a Messenger to be a witness over you,16
even as We had sent a Messenger to the Pharaoh. (Then behold when)
the Pharaoh disobeyed the Messenger, We seized him with a firm grip.
if you too, refuse to believe, then how will you protect yourselves
on the Day that will make the children old,17
and whose severity shall cause the heavens to split? Allah's promise
has to be fulfilled in any case. This is an Admonition; so, whoever
wills, let him take a path to his Lord.

[20]
O Prophet,18
your Lord knows that you sometimes stand in the. Prayer nearly
two-thirds of the night and sometimes half the night, and sometimes
one-third of the night,19
and so does a group of your Companions.20
Allah alone keeps an account of the time of the day and night. He
knows that you cannot compute the time precisely; so He has shown
kindness to you. Now you may read as much of the Qur'an as you easily
can.21
He knows that there will be sick men among you, and some others who
travel to seek Allah's bounty22
and yet others who fight in Allah's Way.23
Therefore, read as much of the Qur'an as you may do with ease.
Establish the salat and pay the zakat,24
and give to Allah a goodly loan.25
Whatever good you may send forward for yourselves, you shall find it
with Allah. That is best and richest in reward.26
Seek forgiveness from Allah: indeed Allah is All-Forgiving,
All-Merciful.

1To
address the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) with these words and
then to command him to rise and keep standing in the Prayer at
night, shows that at the tune he either lay asleep, or had wrapped
himself up in a sheet in order to go to sleep. Here, to address him
with "O you who sleeps covered up" instead of with "O
Prophet, or O Messenger", is a fine way of address, which by
itself gives the meaning: "Gone is the time when you used to
enjoy peaceful sleep at will; now you lie under the burden of a
great mission, whose demands and duties are different as well as
onerous.

(1) "Pass
the night standing up in the Prayer and spend only a little of it in
sleep"; and

(2)"there
is no demand from you to pass the whole night in the Prayer, but
have rest as well and spend a little part of the night in worship
too."

But in
view of the theme that follows the first meaning seems to be more
relevant, and the same is supported by Ad-Dahr: 26, in which it has
been said: "Prostrate yourself before Him in the night and
glorify Him during the long hours of night."

3This
is an explanation of the duration of time commanded to be spent in
worship. In it the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) was given the
option to spend half of the night in the Prayer, or a little less
than that, or a little more than that. But the style shows that half
the night has been regarded as preferable, for the measure is the
same, which may be decreased or increased, as the people may like
and choose.

4"Recite
the Qur'an ......": Do not recite it quickly and in haste, but
slowly and distinctly: pause at every verse so that the mind
understands the meaning and purport of Divine Revelation well and
takes effect from it. if it contains the mention of Allah's Being
and Attributes, it may awe-inspire the heart with His glory and
majesty; if it expresses His mercy, the heart may be filled with
feelings of gratitude to Him; if it mentions His wrath and His
punishment, the heart may be overwhelmed by fear of Him; if it
enjoins something or forbids something, one may understand what has
been enjoined and what has been forbidden. In short, the recital
does not only consist in uttering the words with the tongue, but it
should involve thoughtful consideration of the meaning. When Hadrat
Anas was asked about the Holy Prophet's method of reciting the
Qur'an, he replied: The Holy Messenger stretched the words when
reciting them. For example, when he recited Bismillah ir-Rahman
it-Rahim he would stretch and prolong the sound of Allah, Rahman and
Rahim (Bukhari). When Hadrat Umm Salamah was asked the same
question, she replied that the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace)
recited every verse separately and distinctly and observed a pause
at the end of every verse. For instance, he recited
AI-hamdu-lillah-i Rabb-il'alamin, and paused, then recited ar-Rahman
ir-Rahim, and paused, and then recited Malik-i yaum id-di'n.
"(Musnad Ahmad, Abu Da'ud, Tirmidhi). In another tradition,
Hadrat Umm Salamah has stated that the Holy Prophet recited each
word distinctly and clearly. (Tirmidhi, Nasa'i). Hadrat Hudhaifah
bin Yaman says: "Once I stood beside the Holy Prophet in the
Night Prayer to see how he recited the Qur'an. I noticed that he
glorified Allah where He should be glorified, invoked and
supplicated Allah where He should be invoked and supplicated, and
sought refuge of Allah where His refuge should be sought."
(Muslim, Nasa'i). Hadrat Abu Dharr has stated that once during the
Night Prayer when the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) came to the
sentence: In to adhdhib-hmn ... (If You punish them, then they are
Your servants; and if You forgive them, then You are Almighty,
All-Wise), he went on repeating it over and over again until it
became dawn." (Musnad Ahmad, Bukhari).

5That
is, "You are being commanded to stand up in the Night Prayer
because We are going to send down on you a weighty word, to bear the
burden of which you must develop necessary power in yourself, and
you can develop this power only by abandoning your ease and comfort
of the night and by standing up in the Prayer and passing half the
night or thereabout in the worship of your Lord. "The Qur'an
has been called a weighty Word also for the reason that acting on
its commands, demonstrating its teaching practically, extending its
invitation in the face of the whole world, and bringing about a
revolution in the entire system of belief and thought, morals and
manners, civilization and social life, according to it, is indeed
the weightiest task any human being ever has been charged with: It
has been called a weighty Word also because bearing the burden of
its revelation was a difficult and heavy duty. Hadrat Zaid bin
Thabit says: "Once Revelation came down upon the Holy Prophet
(upon whom be peace) in a state when he was resting his head upon my
knee. I felt such a pressure of the weight on my knee that I thought
it would break." Hadrat `A`ishah says: "I have seen the
state of the Holy Prophet's receiving Revelation during intense
cold, drops of perspiration started falling from his forehead."
(Bukhari, Muslim, Malik, Tirmidhi, Nasa'i): In another tradition
Hadrat `A`ishah has stated: "Whenever Revelation came down on
the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) while he was riding on his
she-camel, the she-camel would be forced to rest her chest on the
ground and could not move until the Revelation was over."
(Musnad Ahmad. Hakim, Ibn Jarir).

6About
the meaning of the word nashi'at al-lail, as used in the original,
the commentators and lexicographers have expressed four different
viewpoints:

(1) That
nashi'at implies the person himself who rises at night;

(2) that
it implies the hours of night;

(3) that
it means the rising by night; and

(4) that
it does not only apply to the rising in the night but rising after
having had some sleep,

Hadrat
`A`ishah and Mujahid have adopted this fourth viewpoint.

7The
word ashaddu wat'an as used in the Text is so vast in meaning that
it cannot be explained in any one sentence. Its one meaning is: As
the rising for worship by night and standing up for a long tithe in
the Prayer is against human nature and the self of man seeks ease
and comfort at that time. this act is an exercise which is most
effective in controlling and disciplining the self. The person who
governs himself by this method and gains dominance over his body and
mind becomes able to use his power in the way of God, can work more
efficiently and firmly to make the message of true Faith prevail in
the world. The second meaning is: This is a very effective means of
producing harmony and concord between the heart and the tongue, for
during these hours of the night none else intervenes between the
servant and his God, and whatever man utters with his tongue in this
state, is the very voice of his heart. The third meaning is: This is
a very efficacious means of bringing about conformity between the
exterior and the interior of man, , for the person who in the
solitude of the night would abandon his comfort and ease and arise
for worship, would do so only out of sincerity: there can be no
tinge of display and hypocrisy in this. The fourth meaning is: As
this worship is harder on man than the worship of the daytime, it
develops steadfastness in him: he is enabled to walk in the path of
God more firmly and can face and endure the hardships of that way
with greater constancy and determination.

8Literally:
"Makes the speech most upright and sound." But the purport
is to say that at that time man can read the Qur'an with greater
peace of mind, attention and understanding. lbn `Abbas has explained
it thus: "That it is the most suitable time for man to ponder
over the Qur'an well.” (Abu Da'ud).

9After
making mention of the occupation of the daytime, the exhortation to
"remember the name of your Lord" by itself gives the
meaning: "Never be heedless of the remembrance of your Lord
even when you are deeply involved in your worldly occupations, and
continue. to commemorate His name in one way or another at all
times." (For explanation, see E.N. 63 of Surah AI-Ahzab).

10"
Wakil is a person in whom one has complete faith; so much so that
one can entrust all one's affairs to him with full satisfaction of
the heart. Thus, the verse means: "Do not feel distressed at
the hardships that you are experiencing at the storm of opposition
that has been provoked by your invitation to we Faith. Your Lord is
He Who is the Owner of the East and the West, (i.e. of the whole
universe) besides Whom no one else possesses the powers of Godhead.
Entrust your affair to Him and be satisfied that He will fight your
case, He will deal with your opponents, and He will look after all
your interests well. "

11"Depart
from them" does not mean "Break off all ties with them and
stop preaching to them", but it means; "Do not have
intimate and friendly relations with them: disregard their foolish
behavior and their nonsense." However, you should do so without
showing any grief, anger or temper but gracefully like a noble
person, who would disregard the abusive remarks of a mean person
without minding them at all. This should not create the
misunderstanding that the Holy Prophet's conduct was any different
from it; therefore, Allah gave him this instruction. As a matter of
fact, the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) was already following
this very mode of conduct; this instruction was given in the Qur'an
so as to tell the disbelievers: "It is not due to any weakness
on the part of the Prophet that he is not responding to what you are
saying against him, but Allah Himself has taught His Messenger to
adopt this noble way of conduct in response to your foolish
behavior. "

12These
words clearly contain the sense that the people who were actually
denying the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) in Makkah and were
inciting the common people to oppose and resist him by stirring up
prejudices and by deceit and fraud were the well-to-do, prosperous
and affluent people, for it was their interests, which were being
hit by Islam's message of reform. The Qur'an tells us that this was
not peculiar only to the Holy Prophet's case but in every age this
very class of the people have been the main obstacle to every
movement of reform. For example, see Al-A`raf; 60, 6b, 75, 88;
Al-Mu'minun: 33; Saba; 34 35; Az-Zukhruf: 23.

13Heavy
fetters in Hell will not be put on the criminals' feet to stop them
from escape but in order that they are not able to stand up and
move; these will not be used to prevent their escape but as an
instrument of their torment.

14Since
at that time the cohesive force to bind the parts of the mountains
together will cease to work, first they will become like crumbling
dunes of fine sand, then because of the earthquake which will be
shaking the earth; the sand will scatter and shift and the whole
earth will turn into an empty level plain. This last state has been
described in Ta Ha: 105-107, thus: "They ask you: where will
the mountains go on that Day? Say: My Lord will reduce them to fine
dust and scatter it away. He will turn the earth into an empty level
plain, wherein you will neither see any curve no crease."

15The
address now turns to the disbelievers of Makkah, who were denying
the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) and persecuting him
relentlessly.

16Sending
the Holy Prophet to be a witness over the people also means that he
should testify to the Truth by his word and deed before them in the
world and also that in the Hereafter when Allah's Court is
established, he will testify that he had presented the whole Truth
before the people in the world. (For further explanation, see E.N.
144 of Al-Baqarah, E.N. 64 of An-Nisa', An-Nahl: 84, 89, E.N. 82 of
Al-Azab, E.N. 14 of Al-Fath).

17That
is, "In the first place, you should be afraid that if you do
not accept the invitation of the Messenger sent by Us, you will have
to meet the same evil end in this world, which the Pharaoh has
already met in consequence of this very crime. But even if no
torment is sent on you in the world, how will you save yourselves
from the punishment of the Day of Resurrection?"

18About
this verse in which reduction has been made in the injunction
concerning the Tahajjud Prayer, there are different traditions.
Musnad Ahmad, Muslim and Abu Da'ud have related a tradition, on the
authority of Hadrat `A'ishah, saying that this second command was
sent down one year after the first command, and the standing up in
the Prayer at night was made voluntary instead of obligatory.
Another tradition which Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim have related,
again on the authority of Hadrat `A'ishah, says that this command
came down 8 months after the first command, and a third tradition
which Ibn Abi Hatim has related again from her, says that it came
down 16 months later. Abu Da'ud, Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim have
cited the period of one year from Hadrat `Abdullah bin 'Abbas. But
Hadrat Sa'id bin Jubair has stated that it was sent down ten years
later. (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim). In our opinion this last view is
most sound, for the subject-matter of the first section clearly
shows that it was sent down in Makkah and that too in the earliest
stage when at the most four years might have passed since the advent
of Prophethood. Contrary to this, this second section, .in view of
the express evidence of its subject matter, seems to have been
revealed at Madinah when fighting had started with the disbelievers
and the zakat also had been enjoined as an obligatory duty. On this
basis inevitably the two sections should have been sent down at an
interval of at least ten years between them.

19Although
the initial command to the Holy Prophet was to keep standing up in
the Prayer for half the. night, or thereabout, it was difficult to
compute the time precisely in the absorption of the Prayer,
especially when there were no watches either to measure time
accurately; therefore, sometimes two thirds of the night passed in
the prayer and sometimes only one-third of it.

20In
the initial command only the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) was
addressed and only he was instructed to stand up in the Prayer by
night. But since the Muslims at that time were ardently desirous of
following him in everything he did and of earning more and more good
and virtues, many of the Companions also performed this Night Prayer
regularly.

21As
the Prayer is prolonged due mainly to a lengthy recital of the
Qur'an, it is said: "You may recite as much of the Qur'an as
you easily can in the Tahajjud Prayer This would automatically cause
the Prayer to be shortened" . Although the words here are
apparently in the imperative mood, it is agreed by all that Tahajjud
is not an obligatory but a voluntary Prayer. In the Hadith also it
has been explained that on an inquiry by a person the Holy Prophet
(upon whom be peace) replied: "Five times Prayer in the day and
night is obligatory on you. He asked: Is anything besides this also
binding on me? The Holy Prophet said: No, unless you may like to
offer something of your own accord. " (Bukhari, Muslim).

This
verse also shows another thing. Just as the bowing (ruku ) and
prostration (sajdah.) are obligatory in the Prayer, so is the
recital of the Qur'an. For just as Allah at other places has used
the words ruku' and sajdah for the prayer, so here He has mentioned
recital of the Qur'an, which implies its recital in the Prayer. If
somebody objects to this conclusion, saying: When the Tahajjud
Prayer itself is voluntary, how can recital of the Qur'an in it be
obligatory? The answer is: Even in case of the voluntary Prayer it
is incumbent on one to fulfil all the pre-requisites of the Prayer
and to perform all its basic elements and obligatory parts. No one
can say that in case of the voluntary Prayer, purity of the garments
and body, ablutions and concealment of the satar (minimal part of
the body to be covered) are not obligatory, and the standing up and
sitting and performance of ruku`and sajdah also in it are only
voluntary.

22Traveling
to earn one's living by lawful and permissible methods has been
described in many places in the Qur'an as the seeking of Allah's
bounty.

23Here,
the way Allah has made mention of seeking pure livelihood and
fighting in the Way of Allah together and declared these two,
besides the compulsion on account of illness, as reasons for
exemption from the Tahajjud Prayer, or concession in it, shows how
meritorious it is in Islam-to earn one's livelihood by lawful
methods. In the Hadith, Hadrat `Abdullah bin Mas`ud has reported
that the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) said: "The person
who came to a city of the Muslims with food grains and sold it at
the rate of the day, will attain to a place nearest to Allah, and
then the Holy Prophet recited this very verse." (lbn Marduyah),
Hadrat 'Umar once said: "Except for fighting in the way of
Allah, the state in which I would love to be overtaken by death, is
the state when I am overtaken by it while passing through a mountain
pass in search of livelihood and then he recited this very verse."
(Baihaqi, Shu ab al-Iman).

24Commentators
are agreed that this implies observance of the obligatory Prayer
five times a day and giving away of the obligatory zakat.

25Ibn
Zaid says this implies spending one's wealth in the cause of Allah
besides the zakat, whether it is in the cause of fighting in the way
of Allah, or for helping the needy, or for public utilities, or
other good works. The meaning of giving to Allah a good loan has
been explained at several places above. See E.N 267 of AI-Baqarah,
E.N. 33 of Al-Ma'idah, E.N. 16 of Al-Hadid).

26It
means: "Whatever you have sent forward for the good of your
Hereafter is more beneficial for you than that you withheld in the
world and did not spend in any good cause for the pleasure of Allah.
According to a Hadith reported by Hadrat 'Abdullah bin Mas`ud the
Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) once asked: "Which of you has
a greater love for his own wealth than for the wealth of his heir?
The people said: There is none among us, O Messenger of Allah, who
would not have greater love for his own wealth than for the wealth
of his heir. He said: Consider well what you are saying. The people
submitted: This indeed is our considered opinion, O Messenger of
Allah. Thereupon the Holy Prophet said: Your own property is only
that which you have sent forward (for the good f your Hereafter),
and whatever you held back indeed belongs to the heir."
(Bukhari. Nasa'i, Musnad Abu Ya`la).